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Sucking on Solid Food Instead of Chewing It

Posted by Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP on 18th Apr 2018

Question:  I am a speech therapist who works mostly with adults but a little in early intervention.  I currently have a two-year-old who was fed and is still fed quite a bit through a feeding tube, but who is able to chew and eat solid food now. However, she has a habit with all solid foods of taking one bite and then sucking the rest until she is either able to swallow it or she sp …
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An Overwhelming Need to Chew

Posted by Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP on 2nd Apr 2018

Question:  Hi Debbie - I work at a school for children who have special needs.  I serve a lot of students (many tube-fed) who really crave oral stimulation to the point that it is difficult to get them to do anything else with their hands.  We have awesome SLPs, but their main focus is more on communication.  I'm not so much looking for feeding preparation and support bec …
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Bite Reflex While Toothbrushing

Posted by Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP on 23rd Mar 2018

Question:  My 12 year old son has severe Tourette syndrome, and sensory issues.  Recently, he's developed a "biting" tic.  He bites down HARD on anything he puts in his mouth.  Brushing his teeth has become impossible.  He bites down so hard on the toothbrush, I'm afraid he will break a tooth!  Plus it's incredibly painful.  Do you make a "biteable" toothbru …
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10 Oral Motor Staples for Feeding Therapy

Posted by Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP on 2nd Oct 2017

      As a feeding therapist, there are a lot of different tools in my therapy bag.  These are my favorites: . PROBE The  Probe is a simple but versatile tool for both feeding and oral motor applications. It was the very first product my husband and I made together 18 years ago, and it’s still a staple in my therapy bag today. The Probe has a white handle with a bl …
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